Restaurants scrimp on shrimp: Prices for shrimp have soared to a 12-year high after a deadly illness called Early Mortality Syndrome swept through shrimp farms in Thailand earlier this year, causing a spike in shrimp prices around the world. According to Marketplace, skyrocketing prices have forced restaurants around the world to cut back on shrimp, if not eliminate it from menus altogether. The shrimp shortage illustrates how volatile the global supply chain can be. A restaurant in Portland can feel the effects of changing weather patterns, natural disasters, or disease on the other side of the world. The chain Red Lobster, for example, had to cut its annual all-you-can-eat "Endless Shrimp" special to just six weeks this year instead of three months. That compounded financial problems for the chain, and rumors circulated that it might be closing, though on Friday Red Lobster's owners denied that any restaurants would close.